Singapore Expats

1/ People are extraordinarily friendly and helpful, which is not what I was expecting.

2/ Flash pay: muchfaster than cash or EFTPOS, slightly more secure than cash. Just blip and run.

3/ The public transport.

4/ The modern architecture: interesting but not crazy.

5/ There would appear to be strict truth-in-advertising legislation. What would be called "2 for 1" in Australia is called "1 for 1" here. Phone aps that have misleading ads in Australia have very matter-of-fact ads here.

So, why is this in the "Leisure Chat, Jokes, Rubbish" forum?

maneo wrote:So, why is this in the "Leisure Chat, Jokes, Rubbish" forum?

Why not?

Good post Daz Voz!

Since you come from Australia , here's a few things for your list.

1/ Booking of taxis can be done by SMS (SingTel : use *654) , and you'll get the taxi plate number and the estimated arrival time instead of having to wait on the street corner with a couple of others all looking to snatch each others taxis. Oh, and since there isn't a 0-7 year-old rule requiring a specific child restraint to be carried by a taxi, you can take taxis relatively easily when traveling with young children. (- ok strictly speaking this is about 3 points.)

2/ Safety :- Singapore safety level across the country is similar to Aussie safety levels in the more well-heeled suburbs, (whereas Australia has well known crime-infested suburbs and ethnicity silos.)

3/ CPF , which can be used to be applied against housing loans/mortgages - most families largest investment, hence releasing larger disposable income ( compared to the Australia 'super' scheme which doesn't.)

For less common things, I very much like Singapore clouds on the sky. They are somehow unique and I have never seen anything similar in any other country. Kind of very subtle, low contrast but huge structures perfectly matching blue sky. More often visible on mornings but not only

x9200 wrote:For less common things, I very much like Singapore clouds on the sky. They are somehow unique and I have never seen anything similar in any other country. Kind of very subtle, low contrast but huge structures perfectly matching blue sky. More often visible on mornings but not only

Must be always shady in the part of the island where I am. If it's not tall buildings or rain clouds, it's the forest fire haze from neighboring countries. I miss blue skies.

x9200 wrote:For less common things, I very much like Singapore clouds on the sky.

Me too! Except they do remind me of the clouds of my youth in the summer when the only thing you had to worry about is if you could find enough change in the couch when the Good Humor man came around...

I also looooooove the SPG's!!!

Wellman wrote:I also looooooove the SPG's!!!

Well, this thread just went down the tubes!

sundaymorningstaple wrote:

Wellman wrote:I also looooooove the SPG's!!!

Well, this thread just went down the tubes!

No no no, this thread just got exciting! I think we should have a seperate SPG thread. There's a lot to discuss!

in fact sg is a small country

owning a car is..hmm expensive.


public transport well during peak hrs is crowded .

well this problems I am believe is common in cities?

nakatago wrote:Must be always shady in the part of the island where I am. If it's not tall buildings or rain clouds, it's the forest fire haze from neighboring countries. I miss blue skies.

Tall buildings are one thing but I also leave in Holland area and have an open view and still see nice clouds not so often. Blue sky, more often, and surprisingly from time to time quite nice stars at night. We used to live in the Western part of the island and these nice clouds I could see almost on daily bases. Likely something to do with the location too - Singapore weather is generally weird

x9200 wrote:

nakatago wrote:Must be always shady in the part of the island where I am. If it's not tall buildings or rain clouds, it's the forest fire haze from neighboring countries. I miss blue skies.

Tall buildings are one thing but I also leave in Holland area and have an open view and still see nice clouds not so often. Blue sky, more often, and surprisingly from time to time quite nice stars at night. We used to live in the Western part of the island and these nice clouds I could see almost on daily bases. Likely something to do with the location too - Singapore weather is generally weird

I looked back at my experiences at looking at the sky. I didn't grow up in a city so less tall structures, less pollution = more views of the sky. Sure, Singapore is less polluted but it's also a bustling metropolis, lies smack 1 degree north of the equator and isn't next to the ocean. Not a meteorologist or geologist, but I guess these account to why Singapore is cloudier (and rainier) and has less (well, for me) views of blue skies.

So I guess, I was spoiled by clearer skies growing up. Yeah, I do appreciate the rare times when I could see stars in the sky here in singers but I just went home to my country recently and there was one night when I looked up and boom[z]--starfield!

Relativity at play, I reckon.

Daz Voz wrote:5/ There would appear to be strict truth-in-advertising legislation. What would be called "2 for 1" in Australia is called "1 for 1" here. Phone aps that have misleading ads in Australia have very matter-of-fact ads here.

I don't actually like this expression.

In Australia 2 for 1 refers to "Two for the price of one," whereas 1 for 1 represents "one free with every one bought."

Both are correct in their proper context, but confusion can ensue when trying to interpret either one in the other's context.

Daz Voz wrote:
5/ There would appear to be strict truth-in-advertising legislation.

I like this one, taken on the week-end: